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Never was there a better time to see this magnificent city from on high. The Shard opened earlier this year and now New York style helicopter tours are set to take to the London skies.But neither are cheap, and inevitably people will have safety concerns before paying to fly.

A new helicopter sightseeing tour over London launches today, giving visitors a unique view of the capital. But we've compared prices with some of London's other towering attractions. For two standard adult tickets on 6 July 2013, we got the following quotes:

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Chris Mann, MD of The London Helicopter said "Were thrilled to be launching the first London based helicopter sightseeing service from Londons only Heliport. Joining the likes of New York, Las Vegas and Cape Town makes us enormously proud."

London's first helicopter sightseeing tours have been launched over London today. Starting from the heliport at Battersea, visitors will be able to get an aerial view of the capital. But it comes at a price - the cost per person starts at £199.

The sightseeing helicopter route over London follows The River Thames Credit: Simon Harris/ITN

The sightseeing helicopter route over London follows The River Thames from Putney in the West to Greenwich in the East, climbing to over 1,000ft above the city's skyline. The flight will cover Buckingham Palace, Westminster Abbey, The Tower of London, Shakespeares Globe Theatre and The Shard.

Famous sporting venues including Wembley, The Emirates and the Olympic Stadium are also visible from the route.